The training ground did not return to normal immediately.
Even after Lady Reina and the man in black had walked back toward the estate, something remained hanging in the air.
Not magic.
Not fear.
Something heavier.
Judgment.
The mist had already begun to lift from the grass, and the morning sun warmed the dirt beneath the knights' boots, yet the training field felt colder than before.
Steel racks creaked softly in the wind.
Wooden training dummies swayed faintly.
And scattered across the field stood knights whose expressions were far from calm.
I. The First Murmurs
Sir Aldric slammed his sword back into the rack harder than necessary.
The metal clanged loudly.
"Unbelievable."
His voice carried across the training ground.
Several other dismissed knights turned toward him immediately.
"He didn't even let us compete in the final selection."
Another knight scoffed bitterly.
"Did you see that? Thirty of us passed his tests."
"And then he dismissed every single man."
Boots scraped the dirt as more knights gathered near the racks.
Frustration simmered like heat rising from stone.
"What right does he have?" someone muttered.
"Who is he anyway?"
"I've never seen his crest."
"Is he even a noble?"
"No one even told us his name."
The anger was not loud.
But it was sharp.
Because they had come to prove themselves.
To become the Matriarch's personal knights.
Yet they had not even been allowed to try.
Sir Aldric clenched his jaw.
"We train here for years."
"We bleed for this house."
"And some outsider walks in and decides we're not worthy?"
A few knights nodded grimly.
Another spoke.
"Did you hear what he said?"
"About men."
"That we can't be trusted around the Matriarch."
The words hung heavy.
A younger knight spat lightly into the dirt.
"Insulting."
II. The Arguments Rise
The discussion grew louder.
Some knights paced restlessly.
Others leaned against weapon racks with arms crossed.
"He thinks we're animals."
"He thinks we'd take advantage of her."
"That's what it sounded like."
Sir Aldric shook his head sharply.
"I've served House Asheville since I was fourteen."
"And he tells us men can't be trusted?"
The bitterness in his voice spread through the group.
Another knight muttered,
"Maybe the Matriarch trusts him too much."
"Maybe he's manipulating her."
Someone laughed dryly.
"Or maybe he wants to keep her to himself."
That comment sparked more murmurs.
"Did you see how he stands beside her?"
"Always close."
"Always watching."
"Like he owns the air around her."
One knight folded his arms tightly.
"Whatever he is, he has no authority over us."
"That decision should belong to the Matriarch."
"And yet she listened to him."
Silence flickered for a moment.
Because that part was true.
Lady Reina had not objected.
Not once.
That realization unsettled them even more.
III. The Veteran Steps Forward
A slow clap echoed across the field.
One.
Two.
Three.
The knights turned.
Sir Halren stepped forward from the edge of the yard.
His armor creaked softly with each step.
The old knight's grey beard shifted slightly as he exhaled.
"So much noise for men who claim discipline."
His voice was not loud.
But it carried weight.
The younger knights straightened slightly.
Even Aldric quieted.
Halren stopped before them.
His eyes moved slowly across the gathered faces.
Frustration.
Hurt pride.
Confusion.
He had seen it before.
Many times.
"Tell me something," Halren said calmly.
"Why are you angry?"
Aldric answered immediately.
"Because we weren't even allowed to prove ourselves."
Halren nodded faintly.
"And what exactly were you trying to prove?"
"To become the Matriarch's personal knight."
"Why?"
The question was simple.
Yet Aldric hesitated.
"Because… she needs protection."
Halren folded his arms.
"Does she?"
"Of course she does."
"And you believe you alone are capable of that?"
A murmur passed through the group.
Halren continued.
"Let me ask you another question."
"Where does your loyalty lie?"
He pointed toward the estate.
"With the Matriarch?"
"Or with House Asheville?"
A few knights frowned.
Aldric answered carefully.
"With both."
Halren shook his head slowly.
"No."
"You cannot serve both the same way."
The knights exchanged glances.
"What do you mean?" one asked.
Halren's eyes sharpened.
"If your loyalty is to the house…"
"…then you are a knight protecting the structure."
"The land."
"The people."
"The legacy."
"But if your loyalty is only to the Matriarch…"
"…then your world becomes one person."
The wind brushed lightly across the field.
Halren's voice dropped lower.
"And a man whose world is only one person…"
"…will burn everything else to protect it."
The words settled into the group like falling stones.
Silence followed.
Because every knight understood the meaning.
Duty could be reasoned with.
But obsession could not.
Halren looked toward the estate again.
"That man…"
"…he is the second kind."
IV. The Realization
The knights followed Halren's gaze toward the distant mansion.
Sir Aldric spoke slowly.
"You mean… he would burn the world for her?"
Halren nodded once.
"Yes."
Another knight frowned.
"But isn't that dangerous?"
Halren chuckled quietly.
"Of course it is."
"But tell me something."
He turned back to them.
"If the entire world stood against Lady Reina…"
"…which man would you want beside her?"
"A knight who protects the house?"
"Or a man who would destroy the world to save her?"
The answer was obvious.
No one spoke.
Because deep down—
They knew.
Halren sighed softly.
"That man isn't protecting the house."
"He's protecting her."
"And that difference is exactly why he dismissed you."
V. Pride and Pain
The younger knights shifted uncomfortably.
Aldric rubbed the back of his neck.
"But still…"
"It feels like our loyalty was questioned."
Halren nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"It was."
The blunt answer surprised them.
"But not because you are disloyal."
He looked across the group again.
"It was questioned because you are men."
A few knights frowned.
"That's unfair."
Halren shrugged slightly.
"Maybe."
"But he wasn't judging your loyalty."
"He was judging your instincts."
A long pause settled over the field.
The younger knights understood the implication.
Instincts were harder to control than loyalty.
Halren continued quietly.
"You may swear loyalty to the Matriarch."
"You may protect her with your life."
"But if she cried in front of you…"
"…if she showed weakness…"
"…if she leaned on you for comfort…"
"Would every man here remain untouched by that moment?"
No one answered.
Because none of them could answer honestly.
Halren's voice softened.
"That man knows what men are capable of."
"And he refuses to gamble with her."
VI. The Last Argument
One knight still looked bitter.
"So we are punished just for being men?"
Halren shook his head.
"No."
"You are trusted with the house."
He pointed toward the estate walls.
"That is your duty."
"But her personal protection…"
"…belongs to someone who would sacrifice everything for her."
The knight frowned.
"And you believe that man would?"
Halren smiled faintly.
"I don't believe it."
"I know it."
The field grew quiet again.
Sir Aldric finally sighed.
"So we protect the house."
Halren nodded.
"And he protects her."
The distinction settled in their minds slowly.
Different roles.
Different loyalties.
Different kinds of men.
VII. The Field Returns to Silence
Eventually the knights dispersed.
Training resumed.
Steel struck steel once again.
Commands echoed across the yard.
But the earlier anger had faded.
In its place remained something else.
Understanding.
Because the truth had become clear.
The Matriarch's twin swords were not chosen for strength alone.
They were chosen to stand where men could not.
And the man who made that decision—
Was not merely an attendant.
He was something far more dangerous.
A man who trusted no one with Lady Reina's vulnerability.
Not even loyal knights.
Not even the house itself.
Only himself.
And as the morning sun climbed higher above Asheville estate—
The knights understood something unsettling.
They were not guarding Lady Reina.
They were guarding the world around her.
Because if that man ever believed the world threatened her—
He would not hesitate.
He would burn it.
Without asking anyone's permission.